Separator for gold and silver by amalgamation.



N0. 645,l88. Patented Mar. 8,1900. F. A. RIDER.

SEPARATOR FOR GOLD AND S|LVER BY AMALGAMATION. (Application filed Apr. 27, 1898,)

(No Model.)

l\ 2 llll'lllllllllllllilll llllllll "ll fllllllll 'llllllll Mum/m;

1a mm illlllllilllllllllfllllilllll llll mm! WITNESSES INVENTOR ms norms PETERS 0o. monuwiqa. wunmcwn. n. c.

NITED STATES PATENT Fries.

FRANK A. RIDER, OF VEKOL, ARIZONA TERRITORY, ASSIGNOR TO THE DE- TROIT REDUCTION COMPANY, OF ORIPPLE CREEK, COLORADO.

SEPARATOR FOR GOLD AND SILVER BY AMALGAMATION.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 645,188, dated March 13, 1900.

Serial No. 679,021. (No model.)

7. The other end of pipe 6 communicates with To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FRANK A. RIDER, a resident of Vekol, in the county of Final and Territory of Arizona, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Separation of Gold and Silver by Amalgamation; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description-of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertaius to make and use the same.

My invention relates to an improvement in separators for gold and silver by amalgamation, one object of the invention being to provide simple and efficient means for separating precious metals from their ore when the metal is in a finely-divided state.

A further object is to provide adequate means whereby to recover finely-divided particles of precious metal such as escape with the tailings from ore-washers.

With these objects in view the invention consists in certain novel features of construction of apparatus, as hereinafter set forth, and pointed out in the claims.

The accompanying drawing represents an embodiment of my invention.

A represents a vessel or container, which will be made of suitable metal and sufficiently stout to safely Withstand any pressure which may be generated therein. The vessel or container is provided with a tight-fitting removable cover 1, on which a safety-valve 2 is located and adapted to communicate with the interior of the vessel, whereby to relieve the pressure within the latter in case it should rise to any unsafe degree.

The vessel A is provided near its bottom with a horizontal (preferably integral) partition or false bottom 3, whereby to form a chamber 4in the bottom of said vessel. With this chamber a steam-pipe 4 communicates, whereby steam under pressure can be injected thereinto. A series of jet-pipes 5 project up through the bottom of the vessel and the partition or false bottom 3 and terminate within the vessel some distance above the said false bottom. The lower ends of the jet-pipes 5 all communicate with a common pipe 6, and each jet-pipe is provided with a needle-valve the top of a vessel 8, and in said pipe a checkvalve 9 is located. The vessel 8 is provided at its bottom with an outlet 10, and the vessel A is provided with two outlets ll 12, the former just above the false bottom and the latter above the upper ends of the jet-pipes. The outlet 11 is to permit the escape of mercury from the vessel, and the outlet 12 is to permit the withdrawal of ore. The vessel A is also provided with a drip-pipe 13, communicating with the steam-chamber 4. A pipe 14'communicates at one end with the vessel A just above the false bottom and at the other end with the vessel 8, and in this pipe a checkvalve 15 is located.

A suitable heat-generator is located under the vessel 8, which, for convenience of illustration, is shown in the drawing as a lampstove 16, it being of course understood that in actual practice this heater will be a furnace or other device capable of generating an adequate amount of heat. 4

In carrying my invention into efiect I first insert mercury into the vessel A, so that it will rest on the false bottom therein. The amount of mercury will preferably be sufficient to extend to the outlets of the jet-pipes; but in any event the thickness of the body 17 of mercury will be sufficient to retardthe passage of heat. A quantity of water with ore (containing precious metal) in suspension is poured into the vessel A, this body 18 of water and ore becoming disposed upon the body of mercury. The cover of the vessel A will now be placed in position. The vessel 8 is also charged with mercury, and its level will be maintained the same as that of the body of mercury in the vessel A by means of the pipe 14. When steam under pressure (preferably superheated) is injected into the steam-chamber 4, the heat thus generated under the false bottom 3 will be imparted to the mercury. As the bottom strata of the body of mercury gradually increases in temperature'(much more rapidly than the upper portions thereof) small globules will form, being caused by small bodies of mercurial vapor, and as these globules increase in size they will finally assume such proportions as to possess sufficient expansive force to permit them to rise through the body of mercury and the mercurial vapor to be projected into the body of water and ore, where they will attack the metal particles, with which they will become amalgamated, and be precipitated upon the body of mercury.

While good results can be accomplished without the use of the auxiliary vaporizing vessel 8, still with the latter the rapidity of action of the apparatus will be augmented by generating mercurial vapor in the vessel 8 and conducting such vapor through the pipe 6 and injecting it into the mixed ore and water through the jet-pipes 5, or, if desired, this last-mentioned method of projecting mercurial vapor into the mass of ore and water might alone be employed.

An important feature of myinvention is to project jets or sprays of mercurial vapor into a body of Water containing ore,so that as the vapor ascends through the mixture in a manner quite similar to the passage of a gas through a body of liquid it will attack the particles, amalgamate them, and permit the amalgamated metals to precipitate through the body of water to the top of the body of mercury. By such method of procedure superior results are attained and the amalgamated metals are separated from the ore and collected in a mass in the same vessel.

WVhen the device A is used alone, it is important that the heat-be applied solely under the body of mercury and not around the same. It is desirable to avoid, as far as possible, heating the whole body of mercury, and thus prevent mercurial vapor arising from the top of the body of mercury. For this reason the heat must be confined under the body of mercury, and I have found by experiment that heat from steam under pressure under the mercury will produce far better results than to build a fire under the mercury, and, again, the heat under the mercury can be more accurately and definitely controlled by the use of steam. Now it will be observed that when heat, and especially heat of steam under pressure, is confined immediately and solely under the body of mercury the bottom strata thereof will be heated and that bubbles of mercurial vapor Will form at the bottom of the body of mercury. These bubbles will increase in size as the vapor forming them accumulates, and they will finally acquire sufficient size and buoyance to cause them to rise through the body of mercury. The inherent force or expansive quality of these bubbles will cause them to leave the top of the body of mercury with considerable force, so that the mercurial vapor will be projected in the form of jets from the upper surface of v the body of mercury and into the body of Water containing the ore. These mercurial-vapor jets or spray thus projected into the Watery mixture will amalgamate such particles e45,iss

of metal with which they come into contact and be condensed and precipitated.

In order to insure against the undue heating of the entire body of mercury, the latter is made of such depth or thickness as to prevent the passage of heat from the bottom to the mercurial body. By the use of steam for heating the bottom of the body of mercury the heat can be readily regulated to further guard against heating the body of mercury to bring it to boiling-point, and thus prevent the mercury from becoming'vaporized at the top surface thereof.

My improvements are simple and economical and are efiectual in all respects in the performance of their functions.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In an amalgamating apparatus, the combiuation With'a tight vessel. adapted to contain abody of mercury and means for applying heat under the body of mercury, ofa series of jet-pipes adapted to discharge upwardly from the surface of said body of mercury, a valve in each jet-pipe, a pipe common to all of said jet-pipes and amercurial-vapor generator communicating with said common pipe, substantially as set forth.

2. In anamalgamating apparatus, the combination with a tight vessel having asteamchamber in its bottom said vessel being adapt= ed to contain a body of mercury immediately above the steam-chamber and mixed water and ore above the mercury, of a series of jetpipes projecting up through the bottom of the vessel and adapted to terminate at or near the surface of the body of mercury, a sepa rate mercurial-vapor generator, and a pipe communicating with said separate generator and with the jet-pipes, substantially as set forth.

3. In an amalgamating apparatus, the combination with a vessel having a false bottom whereby to form a steam-chamber in the bottom of the vessel, said vessel being adaptedto contain a body of mercury above the false bottom and a mixture of water and ore above the mercury, av series of jet-pipes projecting into the vessel and adapted to terminate at or near the surface of thebody of mercury therein, a separate vessel adapted to contain mercu ry,a pipe connecting said vessels,means for heating the separate vessel, a pipe communicating wit-hthe top of the separate vessel and with the series of jet-pipes and a checkvalve in said pipe, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specificationin the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FRANK A. RIDER.

Witnesses:

ANDREW S. MAeUmn, EUGENE W. LEVY. 

